BENGALURU: The festive feel is in the air with decorations, delicacies and decor making their way to homes and hotels. Star hotels in the city are hosting tree lighting ceremonies and cake mixing sessions in preparation for Christmas. Shangri-La Bengaluru is all decked up in blue, white, silver and gold to recreate the magic of North Pole, and has on offer a plethora of authentic festive treats, including Stollen, Panettone, Mince pies, Christmas puddings and cakes. “Christmas décor requires planning from at least 3-4 months before Christmas. While the giant Christmas Tree is recycled from previous years, the ornaments, stars, bells are sourced locally or hand crafted by our team of florists. The Christmas tree is also adorned with wishes of 55 children from Angel’s orphanage which is hand written and is available for guests to buy. It is an ideal occasion to spread the cheer while making a difference in the lives of these children,” says Shamira Ajani, director of Communications, Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru.
To prevent the usage of single-use plastic, this year at the ITC Windsor, they have chosen to use wood and fabric-based decorative items and other eco-friendly alternatives that don’t come wrapped in plastic. “The winter landscape is dominated with reds and whites where we have chosen some natural decorations on the theme of white Christmas to give that nostalgic feel. We have created this idea using recycled paper tied in twine or cloth ribbons and some seasonal greenery, instead of using expensive plastic decoration pieces. Sprigs of ferns, twigs and branches, mistletoe and pine cones are some of the other additions that have been added to elevate the Christmas decor,” says Ila Prabhu, executive housekeeper at ITC Windsor, Bengaluru.
For those away from the city in the tech part of the world, the Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield has a 10 feet high Christmas tree that stands tall in the lobby. To celebrate the season, Christmas-themed table tops have been arranged in all the outlets of the hotel. An exciting Christmas pop-up for a bake sale has been set up in the lobby. For an even warmer and cheerful festive vibe, the staff members are walking around wearing Santa caps.
From giant christmas trees to goodie-loaded ginger bread carts, the lobby Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, also has an area only to showcase Christmas hampers and carts along with reindeers, the sleigh. Christmas stars are stuck from the roof all around the lobby, while the glass door is also filled with snowflakes and different kinds of spray paintings around Christmas. Wreaths are placed in front of reception desks adding to the décor, and mistletoes are kept in different areas to give a different ambiance. “It’s all about the festivity with the colours of green, red, golden and silver,” says Ashok Sivashankar, director of Rooms.